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Ignis Newsletter of the Oak Woodlands and Forests Fire Consortium

GREAT FIRE DEBATE 1

RESEARCH BRIEF 2

HEADS UP! 5

HOT SPOTS 6

SPOTLIGHT 7

UPCOMING EVENTS 8

For more information contact:

Joe Marschall

Coordinator

marschallj@missouri.edu

Mike Stambaugh

Consortium Chair

stambaughm@missouri.edu

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

CONTACT INFO:

Moving fire forward...

THE GREAT FIRE DEBATE

Volume 9, Issue 3

July, 2020

The differences in wildland fire across the U.S. are fascinating. There are areas where lightning commonly

starts high-severity wildfires, areas with long traditions of low severity prescribed fire, and areas with infrequent

fire activity until the big one comes during a drought. One of the most interesting regions of the U.S. is in the

central to northeastern U.S., where seemingly little fire activity occurs. What is interesting about that? Well, that’s

not how fire regimes were just 100 years ago and before. Back then, this region had some of the most frequent

fire regimes in the U.S, something we know from fire-scarred trees and charcoal deposits in lake sediments. In

some areas, fires were burning as frequently as the fuels would allow. In these cases, ecosystem conditions were

different than today, often with fuels that were more flammable, especially where frequent burning maintained

greater proportions of grass and herbaceous fine fuels.

How is this possible, when today wildfire risk is generally low, most fires are small, and fuels are not exception-

ally flammable or hazardous? This question lies at the heart of the Great Fire Debate that has been going on for

nearly 100 years.

Many researchers have concluded that humans were the

reason for so much fire in this landscape. Native

Americans were known to use fire for many reasons, such

as purposely burning to maintain open vegetation

conditions beneficial for hunting. Questions remain,

however, such as how long had humans been controlling

and using fire before fire suppression began in the early

20th century? At what scale did human-set fires affect the

landscape? To what degree were ecosystem conditions the

product of people burning? Other researchers have

questioned the notion that humans were responsible for

the frequent fire regimes of the northeast. They generally

have argued that climate was the primary driver of

frequent fire.

In recent months, a flush of new scientific papers has

rekindled the debate with differing insights and perspec-

tives on historical human fire use and vegetation. The

A dead pine tree with charcoal and multiple fire scars stands in a small woodlot at the USGS Headquarters in the metropoli-tan area of Reston, Virginia (approx. 15 miles west of Washington D.C.). In highly urbanized environments, especially near the Atlantic Coast where New World colonization was early, centuries of intensive land use and land conversion to urban environments have nearly erased evidence of past fire regimes. (Photos: Mike Stambaugh)

...Cont’d on Page 4

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Ignis Newsletter of the Oak Woodlands and Forests Fire Consortium

he objective of this study was to assess the relative

effectiveness of different forest canopy reduction levels

(woodland vs. savanna) and season of burn (spring vs.

fall) towards meeting restoration objectives for oak woodlands

and savannas. These ecosystems are usually dominated by fire-

tolerant tree species and have high levels of herbaceous

diversity (exceeding those of prairies or closed-canopy forests),

but are rapidly disappearing due to succession associated with

20th century fire exclusion practices.

The study occurred at Catoosa Wildlife Management Area,

managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and

located within the Cumberland Plateau and Mountains

physiographic region. Oak woodland and savanna restoration

began in 2002, first with salvage logging of pine bark beetle-killed shortleaf pine trees from a 1999-2000 outbreak, followed by prescribed fire and additional

canopy-opening commercial harvests in response to the rapid development of common prairie and savanna flora.

At the time of pre-treatment data collection in 2008, the study site consisted of a mixed pine-hardwood closed-canopy forest (>85% canopy closure)

dominated by white, southern red, black, and scarlet oaks, and also red maple, sourwood, and hickories. Dense mid-story vegetation was dominated by

blackgum, downy serviceberry, red maple, sourwood, and sassafras. Very little herbaceous vegetation was present in the ground-layers, which instead were

dominated by blueberry, tree seedlings, and leaf litter.

Within a 300-ha (~741 acres) area, ten stands were delineated into 20-hectare (~49 acres) experimental units. Two replications of five different treatments

were assigned to the stands. Treatments were: spring

fire / woodland residual basal area of 14 m2/ha

(~61 ft2/acre); fall fire / woodland residual basal

area; spring fire / savanna residual basal area of 7

m2/ha (~30 ft2/acre); fall fire / savanna residual

basal area; and no-treatment (control). Basal area

reduction was accomplished through commercial

timber harvests, which targeted fire-intolerant

(pyrophobic) tree species such as maples, sweet gum,

and yellow poplar, and resulted in overstories

dominated by fire-tolerant (pyrophyllic) trees such as

shortleaf pine, oaks, and hickories.

Fall burns occurred in October 2010 prior to leaf

abscission, and spring burns occurred in March

2011 prior to leaf emergence. Pre- and post-data

were collected in 2008 and then post-canopy

disturbance data were collected in 2009 and

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT:

Vegetation response to canopy disturbance and season of burn

during oak woodland and savanna restoration in Tennessee

T

Andrew L. Vander Yacht, Seth A. Barrioz, Patrick D. Keyser, Craig A. Harper, David S. Buckley, David A. Buehler,

and Roger D. Applegate. Forest Ecology & Management, v.390, April 2017

...Cont’d on Page 3

Herbaceous cover, richness, and diversity increased with increasing canopy disturbance, and these increases accelerated as residual basal area was reduced below 15 m2 / ha (65 ft2 / acre)

Fire, regardless of season, enhanced herbaceous response; however, lower-

intensity growing-season fire had similar effects as higher-intensity dormant-

season fire

Reductions in dense layers of red maple and other fire-intolerant saplings were short-lived, leading to a two-year fire interval recommendation during the initial oak woodland/savanna restoration phases

Management Implications

Volume 9, Issue 3

July, 2020

Salvage logging, commercial thinning, and recurring prescribed fire have led to oak/pine woodland condi-

tions, promoting herbaceous abundance and diversity at Catoosa Wildlife Management Area near Crossville,

Tennessee. (Photo: Clarence Coffey)

Moving fire forward...

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Ignis Newsletter of the Oak Woodlands and Forests Fire Consortium

Moving fire forward...

2010, and for two consecutive years post-fire in 2011 and 2012. Woody

vegetation data included stem density by different size/form classes

(shrubs, seedlings, small and large saplings, overstory trees) with species

partitioned by pyrogenicity. Herbaceous groundcover was identified and

categorized as graminoid, legume, other forb, or fern, and plot-level

herbaceous richness and diversity were calculated (via Shannon-Wiener’s

Index).

For each year of data collection, trends in the vegetation community

were characterized, including density of woody stems by size/form class

and pyrogenenicity. The percent groundcover by herbaceous class,

herbaceous richness and diversity, and their respective relationships to

treatments were tracked through time. Fire intensity was assessed using

scorch height, which was proven to be a suitable surrogate.

The effect of canopy disturbance and fire on woody vegetation density

varied by size class and pyrogenicity. All size classes of woody vegetation,

except for large saplings (≥ 1 m tall, and ≥ 7.6 but < 12 cm DBH),

increased in density as canopy openness increased. Small sapling (≥ 1.4 m

tall and < 7.6 cm DBH) density was temporarily decreased by fire, though

quickly rebounded to equal or exceeding pre-fire levels within two years.

Pyrophyllic seedling and small-sapling density increased post-treatment,

while pyrophobic tree species density decreased as canopy closure

decreased.

Despite occurring >65 years after the fire-suppression induced closure

of tree canopies at the site, management stimulated a robust response of

prairie and savanna associated grasses and wildflowers. Herbaceous

groundcover increased with increasing levels of canopy disturbance.

Graminoid and forb groundcover, herbaceous richness, and herbaceous

diversity were 8 to 24 times greater in treatments compared to controls

two years post-treatment.

The study authors conclude 1) that these

findings demonstrate the utility of pairing canopy

disturbance with fire when restoring oak

woodlands and savannas from closed-canopy

forests, and 2) that commonly used restoration

success metrics (e.g., herbaceous richness/diversity)

were positively related to lower levels of canopy

cover. Decreases in understory woody vegetation

after fire were short-lived due to the prolific

resprouting of hardwoods, and the authors

recommend that managers consider a two-year fire

return interval during the initial phases of

restoration. This return interval is sufficient in

length to allow fine fuels to reaccumulate in

support of adequate fire behavior, but short

enough to prevent woody vegetation from

replenishing below-ground energy reserves.

Late-growing season fires achieved similar fire effects as dormant-season fires, including hardwood density reductions and herbaceous layer enhancement, despite being consistently less intense. The authors conclude that late-growing season fire can benefit oak woodland and savanna restoration through 1) potentially increasing the efficacy of fire management in achieving related goals, 2) the increased fire-control associated with lower-intensity fire, and 3) increased opportunities for restoration burning per year.

Download a printable version of

this research brief HERE

Research brief, continued

All significant (α = 0.05) contrasts for herbaceous species richness (n plot−1) and diversity (Shannon-Wiener Index, H′) during an oak woodland and savanna restoration experiment (2008–2012) at Catoosa Wildlife Management Area, Cumberland County, TN. (Click HERE for full caption.)

Figure reprinted by permission of

Forest Ecology & Management

Volume 9, Issue 3

July, 2020

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Ignis Newsletter of the Oak Woodlands and Forests Fire Consortium Volume 9, Issue 3

July, 2020

Moving fire forward...

From pg 1: continued

makes this point generate so much attention and debate? There are very

real implications for current forest management, as these forests that

developed under a frequent fire regime are changing and even disappearing

in the absence of fire. A more formal inquiry is likely warranted. The

significant debate points seem to relate to historical fire use by humans, the

corresponding vegetation conditions, and the implications for modern day

fire management and conservation.

Previous newsletter essays related to humans and burning include

“Seeking a definition of natural in fire regimes” (Jan. 2013), “Social and

scientific values collide in two Missouri prescribed burn projects” (Jan.

2016), and “The changing values of fire” (Apr. 2016).

primary paper sparking debate concerns new charcoal data, indigenous

burning, and conservation implications in areas of New England. A main

conclusion of the paper was (verbatim from abstract): “climate largely

controlled fire severity in New England during the postglacial interval, and

widespread open lands developed only after deforestation for European

agriculture.” Since then, three comment papers were published that

challenge the paper’s findings based on issues related to charcoal record

interpretation, appropriate scales for detecting historical Native American

influences, and the paper’s failure to consider Indigenous knowledge. Two

weeks ago a reply was published by the original authors.

Why is so much emphasis placed on this fire issue? What is at stake that

Dr. Michael Stambaugh, University of Missouri

Shortleaf pine fire history of the Cumberland

Plateau

December 1, 2020, 1 p.m. CT

Dr. Andrew Vander Yacht, Michigan State University

Litter to glitter: releasing the herbaceous groundlayer

potential stored in oak forest floors

December 8, 2020, 1 p.m. CT

Katie Harris, North Carolina Forest Service

Fire effects on eastern box turtles

Date TBA

Dr. John Kabrick, USFS Northern Research Station

The effect of prescribed fire on above– and below-ground soil properties in the Ozark Highlands

December 15, 2020, 1 p.m. CT

2020 Fall Fire Science Webinar Series

MORE INFO

COMING SOON!

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Ignis Newsletter of the Oak Woodlands and Forests Fire Consortium

HEADS UP!

Volume 9, Issue 3

July, 2020

The USFS Northern Research Station and members of the JFSP Fire Science Exchange Network are excited

to announce a new interactive panel discussion series. It is designed to encourage collaboration between

fire managers and researchers and will be built on registered attendees’ questions. Mark your calendars

for a chance to get the latest in fire science and management and answers to your burning questions.

Research Funding Opportunity

The Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) Funding Opportunity Announcements

(FOAs) are now open through 5 pm MST, September 30, 2020.

See the full announcement HERE.

Proposals for the Graduate Research Innovation (GRIN) program (announcement FA-FOA0021-001) must address one or more of the following topic areas:

Fuels management and fire behavior Changing fire environment Emissions and air quality

Fire effects and post-fire recovery Relative impacts of prescribed fire versus wildfire

Human dimensions of fire

The primary announcement (FA-FOA0021-002) has two task statements:

Sources and distribution of human-caused ignitions and their relation to wildfire impacts

Reducing damages and losses to valued resources from wildfire

Moving fire forward...

NOVEMBER 19, 2020 - 12 – 1:30 PM EST Pairing Historical Fire Regimes with Silviculture

DECEMBER 17, 2020 - 12 – 1:30 PM EST

Using Fire Seasonality to Open the Burn Window

SAVE THE DATE(s)

FUELING COLLABORATION

JANUARY 21, 2021 - 12 – 1:30 PM EST Fire and Climate Change

FEBRUARY 18, 2021 - 12 – 1:30 PM EST

Timber Management and Prescribed Fire

Registration opens September 1, 2020. SAF and TWS credits pending. MORE INFO COMING SOON!!

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Ignis Newsletter of the Oak Woodlands and Forests Fire Consortium

Moving fire forward...

FIRE SCIENCE

HOT SPOTS

In this feature, we bring into

focus fire science on-the-ground

Catoosa Savanna/Woodland Project The 5,800 acre Catoosa Savanna/Woodland Project is located within the 80,000 acre Catoosa Wildlife Management Area (CWMA) on the Upper Cumberland Plateau in central Tennessee. The land has been managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) since 1947. Prior to an extensive southern pine bark beetle outbreak in 1999-2000, shortleaf pine was a common overstory tree in the heavily forested WMA, often in over-stocked, closed-canopy mixed hardwood-pine stands. Much of this forest initiated after cattle grazing and agricul-ture were abandoned in the early/mid-1900s, and following the beetle outbreak, oaks (including white, southern red, black, and scarlet) and other hardwoods (e.g., red maple, sourwood, and hickories) dominated the overstory. In response to widespread beetle-caused pine mortality, TWRA employed salvage logging, commercial thinning, and prescribed fire (top-right panel) to manage for oak and oak-pine woodlands and savannas. The rapid positive response of prairie and woodland plants (solely from the seedbank) aligned well with accounts of the region by early-European explorers (i.e., restored shortleaf pine savanna at CWMA pictured bottom-right). Among other ecological effects, these management activities promote diverse herbaceous plant communities, including species of conservation concern such as the state-listed insectivorous dwarf sundew (Drosera brefifolia, bottom-left).

2020). In addition to enhancing natural communities, management at CWMA also provides educational opportunities for students and researchers (inset bottom-left) and is a valuable demonstration of natural community restoration and wildlife habitat management for interested landowners. Click on each photo for a full-size downloadable image, or view all HERE. Photo credits – top-left (and inset)/bottom-left inset: Andy Vander Yacht, top-right (and inset): Clarence Coffey, others: Adam Warwick (TNC).

Volume 9, Issue 3

July, 2020

Oak and oak-pine savannas (bottom-right) and woodlands, maintained by periodic fire and animal grazing/browsing, were historically prevalent on the Cumberland Plateau. At CWMA, fire and grazing largely ceased around 1950, and consequently woodlands and savannas transitioned to closed-canopy forests. Before (2008) and after (2016) pictures (top-left panel and inset) show the combined effects of thinning (30 ft2/acre basal area retention) and three biennial late-growing season prescribed fires on light levels and the resulting plant communities (see Vander Yacht et al.

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Ignis Newsletter of the Oak Woodlands and Forests Fire Consortium

SPOTLIGHT In an effort to introduce you to new people and information from the region, we interview fire practitioners and researchers about timely topics. In this issue, we asked these questions of Andrea Brandon, with the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.

What are some of the greatest fire research needs for the

Northern Research Station’s region?

AB: Fire is a critical component of many ecosystems within the 20-state region of the Northern Research Station (NRS). Increasingly, forest managers and policy makers are recognizing the role of good fire to meet multiple resource objectives, including wildlife habitat improvement, increasing climate resiliency, and promoting the regeneration of fire-dependent species such as oaks and pines. NRS’s research focuses on regional fire issues including widespread wildland-urban interface; air quality concerns related to the use of fire; ecosystems historically disturbed by fire now losing fire-dependent biodiversity after decades of fire exclusion and suppression; and social acceptance and health issues that form barriers to increased fire use on the landscape. As climate change alters the fire environment, fire research is becoming even more critical.

What is your biggest concern regarding the use of fire to manage

woodlands and forests?

AB: Prescribed fire is an important tool in managing and sustaining landscapes across the Northeast and Midwest. One of my concerns is whether we are fostering an environment for long-term collaboration and continual learning. My new position within the Northern Research Station is focused on supporting science-manager integration and collaboration. This means supporting efforts for active listening and providing opportunities for experiential learning. My goal is to support regular engagement between researchers and land managers to improve understanding of fire management needs, as well as to communicate available research tools and expertise.

In your opinion what is the greatest advantage to using prescribed fire when managing woodlands and forests?

AB: Over the past five years, I have had the privilege to work closely with several Ojibwe Bands in the Great Lakes region. I have learned that in Indigenous cultures, the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health of people are inextricably tied to the health of the land. In short, Native American cultures cannot be resilient without healthy, resilient landscapes. Historically, much of the fire in the Northeast and Midwest resulted from an anthropogenic fire regime, or Indigenous fire stewardship. In this context, returning fire to fire-adapted landscapes not only bolsters biodiversity and climate resiliency, but when we work with our tribal partners to return fire to the landscape, we are supporting tribal trust responsibilities while advancing the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in natural resource management. I am committed to finding opportunities to link federal, tribal, state, local, and NGO partners together through robust science – practitioner exchanges.

Andrea Brandon is the Science Delivery Specialist with the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station in St. Paul, MN. Her work focuses on improving communica-tions, collaboration, and

knowledge sharing between the scientific and natural resource management communities. Prior to her current position, Andrea spent nearly 10 years with The Nature Conservancy where she worked in a variety of conservation science and program management roles including launching and supervising a new forest prescribed fire program in Minnesota, as well as initiating and leading the Sand Plains Fire Learning Network in Minnesota. She has worked in the Central Appalachians and Great Lakes regions on forest restoration projects, focusing on overlapping multiple benefits including climate adaptation, forest resilience, and biodiversity conversation. Andrea holds a bachelor’s degree in history, and a master’s degree in environmental science and policy from Johns Hopkins University.

Moving fire forward...

Volume 9, Issue 3

July, 2020

This tool uses modeling software to help land managers make informed decisions about wildfire risks, burn probabilities, and mitigating the

impacts of potential actions, such as fuel treatment and pre-suppression response planning.

Data, statistics, and details along with a map interface allows assessment of large and small scale projects. Risk assessments only take minutes and can be re-run quickly using different scenarios.

Announcing a new Interagency Fuel Treatment Decision Support System (IFTDSS) tool

For more information, CLICK HERE

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Ignis Newsletter of the Oak Woodlands and Forests Fire Consortium

UPCOMING EVENTS

August 29, 2020: Prescribed Fire Field Day Kellyville, Creek County, OK, for more information, email eelliott@pheasantsforever.org

September 23, 2020: Kentucky Prescribed Fire Council — NOW VIRTUAL Slade, KY, more information coming soon HERE

October 7, 2020: Glades, Quail, and Prescribed Fire Workshop— NOW VIRTUAL Ash Flat, AR, for more information, CLICK HERE

October 20-21, 2020: Fire Ecology Across Boundaries: Connecting Science and Management, a 2-day webinar series For more information, CLICK HERE October 20-23, 2020: 13th Biennial Longleaf Conference / online For more information, CLICK HERE October 26-30, 2020: National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Workshop Asheville, NC, for more information, CLICK HERE

November 19, 2020: Pairing Historical Fire Regimes with Silviculture / online panel discussion More information coming soon

December 1, 2020: Webinar: Shortleaf pine fire history of the Cumberland Plateau Dr. Michael Stambaugh, University of Missouri. For more information, CLICK HERE

December 8, 2020: Webinar: Litter to glitter: releasing the herbaceous groundlayer potential stored in oak forest floors Dr. Andrew Vander Yacht, Michigan State University. For more information, CLICK HERE

December 15, 2020: Webinar: The effect of prescribed fire on above– and below-ground soil properties in the Ozark Highlands Dr. John Kabrick, USFS Northern Research Station. For more information, CLICK HERE

December 17, 2020: Using Fire Seasonality to Open the Burn Window / online panel discussion More information coming soon

January 21, 2021: Fire and Climate Change / online panel discussion More information coming soon

February 18, 2021: Timber Management and Prescribed Fire / online panel discussion More information coming soon

Please contribute your event announcements. Send information to: oakfirescience@gmail.com

Moving fire forward...

Presentations:

Ozark fire and forest ecology through time Glade vegetation

Glade restoration Fire and quail habitat

Virtual field tour:

Harold E. Alexander Spring River Wildlife Management Area

For more information, CLICK HERE

Glades, quail, and prescribed fire workshop

RESCHEDULED AS A VIRTUAL WORKSHOP!!

October 7, 2020

Volume 9, Issue 3

July, 2020